CV Surgery 2

Our regular feature explains how to better present a CV and shows where jobseeking crew can go wrong in all aspects of the CV writing process. This month Laurence Reymann is reviewing the CV of a young engineer looking to break into super yacht crewing. This month’s candidate is a junior engineer looking to start […]

Our regular feature explains how to better present a CV and shows where jobseeking crew can go wrong in all aspects of the CV writing process. This month Laurence Reymann is reviewing the CV of a young engineer looking to break into super yacht crewing.

This month’s candidate is a junior engineer looking to start his career in the yachting industry. He is an avid sailor who owns a boat in Scotland, he obtained a university degree in mechanical engineering and seems rearing to go to sea in a professional capacity. Let’s look at his CV.

Our candidate is young and therefore has little experience; he could do with a one-page CV that is to the point, lean and efficient. Remember, a CV has to work for you, its purpose is to “market” you as efficiently and swiftly as possible.

Picture

Fine, I see a clean-cut individual with a smile. Whilst he looks smart with a shirt, in this instance (entry level engineering job) I would prefer a polo shirt, which would make him look less corporate.

Personal profile and general skills

The profile is too long and too vague. You should cut to the chase and always get to the point quickly. The candidate is not a student any more, however on his CV he states: “As an engineering student I am…” . This statement needs updating. What is he looking for? I presume an entry-level engineering job but he should say so and then list a few of his qualities (no more than three) and transferable skills he can bring to yachting. This section should be dealt with in two or three sentences, no more.

Maritime qualifications

This section is fine.

Yacht experience

This is fine as well – I have the dates, names of yachts and sizes in bold, with brief descriptions of the duties.
Within one of the periods of yacht experience it would be better to erase “using previous skills in bar to meet customer needs”.

Previous experience

The phrase “working during the day” needs clarifying as the candidate was at university during this time, so which days are we talking about? Do not forget to use the spellchecker and to reread the CV, there is a mistake in this CV: “there” instead of “their”.

Hobbies

This is an informative section, our candidate has interesting hobbies, eg splicing and knots and rebuilding old cars, which easily relate to the industry.

By tightening the CV, maybe changing the layout a bit, the CV will be great. If our candidate manages to put all the information on one page without reducing the font size it would be fantastic, if not two pages will suffice. Good effort!

Laurence at YPI CREW is the crème de la crème of Superyacht Recruiters. I have been involved with her since her first interviewing me as a potential Captain for one of her available positions in 2005 and since then she has become a close friend and my number one choice of recruitment agency whenever I look for crew.

Captain Dùghall MacLachlainn

The recruiters at YPI CREW know their industry inside out and will always look for the best solution, they offer unbiased council and advice in the successful placement of crew ; you can relax in the knowledge that only qualified vetted candidates will be put forward. YPI CREW have also played a major part in my own career and professional choices over the last 14 years and it has always been complete pleasure to work with Laurence and her team.

Captain Richard Carr, MY SERENITY J

From the day I entered the industry the recruiters at YPI CREW have always worked hard at finding me great positions as an officer. Not only are they extremely professional and helpful, but Laurence and her team have also become very good friends over the years, and I can highly recommend using them.

Captain Carl Westerlund, 101m M/Y I Dynasty

YPI CREW only presents me with a small pool of perfectly vetted candidates, well matched to my requirements which is a great time saver. I can't think of a single crew member I employed through a YPI CREW recommendation, that I didn't work with successfully for an extended period of time.

Captain Carl Westerlund, 101m M/Y I Dynasty

Laurence and the YPI CREW team have been a great help over the past ten years. Their professionalism, care and industry knowledge makes all the difference and the crew recruitment for MY FORMOSA has been outstanding. The YPI CREW recruiters are key players in the industry !

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our website traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use this website.